Archive for the ‘Alfa Romeo 6C’ tag

David Cohen fell in love with a Figoni-bodied 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS coupe as a schoolboy in Johannesburg, South Africa. Decades later, Cohen and his wife, Adele, would acquire the car from the estate of its former owner, restore it to its original glory, then go on to take awards at some of the world’s most prestigious events. Last Sunday, Cohen’s Alfa added to its already impressive resume by capturing Best in Show honors at the Kirkland Concours d’Elegance, held on the grounds of the LeMay – America’s Car Museum.

While it’s not uncommon for an exceptional car to win multiple concours d’elegance crowns, Cohen’s Alfa has done so on two continents and can count a win in the 2012 Mille Miglia among its laurels, too. Just days after taking first place in the historic motoring event, the unique 6C model captured Best of Show by Public Referendum, Best in Show by Jury and the Group Italia Trophy at the 2012 Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza. From there, the car was next shown at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it picked up an award for the Most Elegant Sports Car, a win in the European Sports Racing class and the Road & Track Trophy.

As it turns out, victory is familiar to this particular Alfa Romeo. Originally shown at the 1933 Paris Motor Show, the car would go on to earn a series of show wins before being rebodied to compete in the 1935 24 Hours of Le Mans. Drivers Guy Don and Jean Desvignes captured the 2.0-liter class win, and brought the car home in sixth place overall. It’s not clear if the Alfa was campaigned in any additional events, but shortly after its Le Mans outing, the car was reunited with its original Figoni-constructed body.

Following World War II, the car was purchased by South African resident George Elkin, who routinely shipped it between South Africa and France for extended vacations. A young and impressionable David Cohen first spotted the custom-bodied Alfa on his morning bicycle ride to school, and the image of the aerodynamic coupe stuck with him. Cohen would go on to a career in mining (that would ultimately take him to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), while the Alfa would become an addition to the collection of Waldie Greyvenstein.

In 1986, Cohen and Greyvenstein united as co-drivers in the Mille Miglia. Somehow, the conversation fell to the Figoni-bodied Alfa Romeo 6C, and Cohen expressed an interest in buying the coupe, should Greyvenstein decide to sell it. Years went by before Cohen was contacted by the estate of his former Mille Miglia companion in 2008, and the offer was placed on the table: The car was Cohen’s if he wanted to buy it.

Sight unseen, Cohen bought the car, which turned out to be in a state of serious disrepair. Though a driver-quality restoration had been performed on the Alfa, it dated to the 1970s, prompting Cohen to turn the car over to Vancouver’s RX Autoworks for a thorough restoration to the coupe’s original state. The shop refers to the car as their crowning glory, and it’s helped them achieve a rarefied status among the collector car elite; few things drum up restoration business quite like awards from Villa d’Este and Pebble Beach.

It’s not clear where David and Adele Cohen’s 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Figoni Coupe will turn up next, but it’s a safe bet the magnificent automobile will be in the running for a Best in Show award.